27 April 2010

Stuck on the Emerald Isle

Sorry it took me so long to update. But. I can now say I experienced first hand the effects of Eyjafjallajokull, the unpronounceable volcano.

I headed to Ireland the 13th, fully prepared to stay there for a week with Ola, for my mom to meet me there the 18th, and for us to leave together and wander the southwest of France for a few days before she went back home to Kansas.

The staying there for a week happened, but that's the only bit. Even that isn't completely accurate, because I actually stayed there 12 days.

Fortunately, Ola and I were staying with the lovely Finola Clancy, one of the numerous relatives from the Ridgway/French side of my family, and thus didn't have to pay for an extra hotel, expensive food, etc while we spent our extra 5 days on the little green island.

We did so many things and went so many places that I honestly can't remember them all, but here is what I CAN remember:

-Seeing various churches, town halls, cemeteries, houses where my family members lived/died/were married/are buried/were politicians/etc

-Wandering Cork City

-Going to the Mitchellstown Caves

-Eating dinner in Dungarvan

-Seeing the dead man sleeping

-the Rock of Cashel

-Cobh harbor

-touring the Jameson Whisky distillery in Middleton

-playing the bells at Shandon

Honestly, the best part about Ireland was the food. Ola and I both gained weight while staying with Nola, because everything tasted sooooo gooooddddd. France has great cheese and great bread and I definitely am not starving over here, but there's just something about France that makes it difficult to find a hearty slice of bread with deliciously cholesterol-filled butter slathered all over it. As many people know, I love bread. And I developed a deep love for Irish butter. Pair that with the "full Irish breakfast" Finola made for us every morning and it's a surefire recipe for Elena to get fat. Luckily, I knew I would be leaving eventually, so I didn't really feel bad about eating my little heart out, after all, it's vacation!

Another excellent aspect of Ireland was that I got to watch the first two episodes of Glee, something I'm not sure I'll be able to continue here in France. So that's actually quite depressing.

Here are some random pics of my time there, sorry this post is so short and boring, but we really didn't do anything too exciting while there...just lounged around. And that, as many people know, is exactly what I like to do when on vacation :)

My mom's birthday cake, which she wasn't actually there to eat...

I think Ola took this picture. But we went to the greyhound races and bet on the dogs. I won 5.60euro :)